QUIVIRA CONFERENCE 2017

RANCHING AND FARMING AT THE RADICAL CENTER

IT’S ALL ABOUT SOIL, WATER, AND NEIGHBORS

NOVEMBER 15 – 17, 2017ALBUQUERQUE, NM

The annual Quivira Conference is internationally renowned for bringing together leaders, innovators, and stewards of the land for three days of provocative plenary presentations, roundtable discussions, and networking with diverse attendees from across the southwest, the country, and globe. The conference creates a unique environment where ideas are sown, exchanged, and grown. Quivira’s outstanding speakers and attendees contribute expertise in ranching, farming, conservation, community, and all things soil, which is the key to it all. Every attendee brings something unique to the table, and each departs with inspiration, new connections, broader perspectives, and the tools necessary to effect change.

In two decades of collaboration, we have grown a web of knowledge and a network of human relationships focused on soil, water, and neighbors. Our original tagline—working to achieve harmony between humans and nature—has changed and our methods have evolved, but the essence of our work has not. We continue to cultivate innovation, education, collaboration, and hope as the nexus from which soil is restored and relationships are grown. This year our gathering will take a particularly people-oriented approach, bringing the community together in conversations about how to focus on what really matters… ranching and farming at the Radical Center.

Working in the Radical Center allows us to concentrate on land health and community building. It blocks noise and distraction and keeps us focused on action in the places where we make the biggest difference. In the past two decades, we’ve developed a deeper understanding of ecosystem complexity and a growing toolkit for healing land, restoring watersheds, and strengthening community. The 2017 Quivira Conference will focus on how to foster the human relationships that allow us get this work done.

Together at this year’s conference we’ll explore the myriad work and social relationships that make for healthy people and a resilient planet, with particular attention to the role that ranchers and farmers play in cultivating them. From watershed restoration and rangeland monitoring that bring ranchers and conservationists together—to growing crops that encourage balance between bacteria and fungus for carbon sequestration—to matching aspiring and retiring ranchers working together on meaningful land succession—Quivira’s success and the ability for lasting and meaningful impact is rooted in a deep commitment to relationship building.